PCJ – Chapter 337 Realm

Zhao Shuanglin’s face softened a little after hearing Zhang Youping’s words, “Alright, it’s enough that you said this. You can plant the seedlings however you like, but if they don’t survive, you’ll be responsible. I am accountable to the county, and they’ve invested a lot of funds. It can’t be wasted.”

“And also, even if you’re not applying any base fertilizer, you need to water the roots after planting, or the seedlings will die.” Zhao Shuanglin was indeed a diligent and responsible person. Although they didn’t follow his method of planting, he still patiently explained the key cultivation points.

“Don’t worry, we’ll definitely water them soon,” Zhang Youping quickly responded.

Zhao Shuanglin added, “I’ll come back in a few days. If the seedlings have any problems, you’ll be fully responsible. The county is taking this seriously, and County Magistrate Deng will personally inspect the work.”

“Don’t worry, our Meizi’ao will definitely get the job done and make sure the leaders are satisfied,” Zhang Dechun assured.

Everyone worked together to send Zhao Shuanglin off from Meizi’ao.

“Is this really going to keep the tea seedlings alive?” Zhang Dechun was now beginning to feel worried. After so many years as a farmer, it would be a disgrace if he lacked such basic knowledge. How could you plant trees like this in Meizi’ao? He still vividly remembered the grandiose way they planted tea seedlings at the horticultural farm years ago. According to the old folks back then, the ditches were so deep they could bury a coffin in them. Now, the trench at Zhang Dayun’s place wasn’t even a meter deep, with no base fertilizer at all. The bit of ash looked like a joke. Normally, if someone had told Zhang Dechun this could work, he would’ve slapped them. But it was Zhang Jiaohua who said it, so Zhang Dechun didn’t dare. Hitting that kid would get him in trouble, as even if Zhang Youping didn’t mind, the trouble the kid would cause would be a lot more than a simple slap.

Zhang Jiaohua’s confidence came from his rain-making spell.

With many hands, the work went quickly. Even though the area was large, covering a mountain and about two to three acres, the entire village joined in and planted all the seedlings in just one day. However, people were still concerned that even if the seedlings survived, they might not grow into tea trees.

“Jiaohua wouldn’t lie to me. He said this method would work, so there shouldn’t be any problems. If worse comes to worst, I’ll just apply fertilizer slowly later,” Zhang Dayun thought, firm in his belief in Zhang Jiaohua despite what others said.

That evening, Zhang Jiaohua came back and performed a spell on the mountain, bringing a gentle rain.

The next morning, Zhang Dayun rushed to the mountain and was surprised to find that all the tea seedlings were covered with water droplets, and the soil was moist. The seedlings were lush and green, looking vibrant and healthy.

“Jiaohua knew what he was doing. He told me not to water them because he knew it was going to rain!” Zhang Dayun was thrilled, gazing at the tea seedlings with excitement. This was his hope for the future.

Zhang Wanlai hobbled out of the house, supporting himself with a long bench.

Luo San’nu stood in the doorway, gazing at the sunlight shining on the opposite hill. Her eyes no longer looked dull; they were full of light!

“Dad, why are you walking outside?” Zhang Dayun rushed over, seeing how much effort it took for Zhang Wanlai to walk.

Zhang Wanlai smiled shyly, “It’s been so long, I almost forgot how to walk.”

“Mom! Mom! Dad can walk now!” Zhang Dayun shouted excitedly to Luo San’nu. He didn’t care how difficult it was for his father to walk—he knew his father was happy, so he let him walk as much as he wanted.

“Is this our tea plantation?” Zhang Wanlai looked around at the once barren mountain, now transformed, for the first time.

Zhang Wanlai wiped his face with his large hands, which were now covered in tears. He had always been a tough man who didn’t know how to cry, always burying his pain deep inside. But today, seeing his father walk again brought him to tears.

“Dad, when our tea plantation starts producing tea, our lives will only get better,” Zhang Dayun said, grinning.

Meanwhile, Liu Baoyi was busy organizing the goods on the shelves at the supply store. The villagers had more money in their pockets and were buying all kinds of things, so Liu Baoyi had to stock up, and the small shelves were now overflowing.

“Baoyi, give me a pack of Xiaomei cigarettes,” Zhang Enzhong called as he passed by the store with a load on his shoulder.

Liu Baoyi poked his head outside, noticing Zhang Enzhong had already sold out of tofu. “You sold out so fast?”

“This is late already. Everyone has to rush to work at the tea factory, so they make breakfast early. We’re living the modern life now, like people in the city. We have breakfast early, work at the factory, eat lunch there, and then have dinner at home. Your store is doing better too—no more room for stuff on the shelves.”

Zhang Enzhong was in a good mood. He used to barely sell a couple of tofu blocks a day, but now two blocks weren’t enough. He needed at least four, as everyone was heading to the tea factory to make money, and tofu was quick and easy to cook. Most importantly, everyone had money to spend now.

“Business is good, but now it’s hard to chat with people. They buy things and leave right away. Honestly, you’ve got it easy, selling four blocks of tofu a day and making decent money,” Liu Baoyi said.

But Liu Baoyi responded bitterly, “Easy? It’s exhausting, and I don’t make as much as others. My wife says she doesn’t want to make tofu anymore and would rather work at the tea factory. She’s just as skilled as anyone else, and can easily make a couple hundred a month without all the late nights and early mornings. Making tofu is hard work, and we’ve never had a good night’s sleep.”

“I used to think Jiaohua was just a kid, but now I see he’s something else. The whole village owes him. Other villages are so envious of us,” Zhang Enzhong said.

“Exactly. I’ve got some relatives who want to come work in our village. I’m going to check with the tea factory today to see if they need more workers. But I’m worried the villagers will be upset if I bring outsiders in to take their jobs,” Liu Baoyi said, feeling conflicted.

“Go ask at the factory first. If they need people, then ask. If not, just forget it,” Zhang Enzhong suggested.

Meanwhile, Zhang Jiaohua had climbed to the top of the mountain, looking out over Meizi’ao and realizing how small it was compared to the vast world beyond. He thought maybe Uncle Luo was right—one should always keep a broader perspective.

The mountain leopard crouched beside him, proudly facing the wind, gazing into the distance. Who knew what scenes played in its mind?

The fat cat lay flat on the ground, trying to minimize the weight gravity placed on its body.

The little chubby monkey stared curiously at Zhang Jiaohua, its head tilting back and forth, puzzled as to why its little master came up here every day.

Zhang Jiaohua had another reason for coming to the mountain daily—to practice his stance work. The horticultural farm had changed completely, but the plum blossom stakes still stood there. However, he was easily disturbed when practicing there, so he decided to come here instead. Though there were no plum blossom stakes, the jagged rocks around him served just as well. More importantly, Zhang Jiaohua felt his stance work was reaching a critical point, as if he were standing on the verge of a new world.

“The Mei Mountain School teaches that one must first train the body and then learn the techniques. Training strengthens oneself, and with strength, one becomes undefeatable. As Sun Tzu said: ‘In war, make yourself invincible, and then wait for the enemy’s vulnerability.’ This is the principle. Learning techniques is about defeating the enemy, and the art of defeating the enemy is nothing more than mastering movement and stillness, speed and slowness, yin and yang, and the balance of illusion and reality, distance and proximity, curves and straights.”

“Movement and stillness are the keys to attack and defense. Yin and yang, illusion and reality, are the essence of tactics. Distance and proximity, curves and straights, define the dynamics of battle. Understanding these will reveal victory.”

Zhang Jiaohua hadn’t returned to that dream lately, but he now heard a voice in his mind, sometimes sounding like his Taoist master, other times like Chengdao. He wasn’t sure why he had entered that dream or why he became Chengdao in it. But he had a vague sense that he and Chengdao were connected in some way.

These two teachings had come suddenly, and though Zhang Jiaohua didn’t fully understand them, he knew they had a lot to do with the realm he was on the verge of touching. Yet it felt as if there were a thin barrier, like paper, that he couldn’t break through, filling him with inexplicable frustration.

Suddenly, Zhang Jiaohua sprang into action, performing the entire Mei Mountain boxing sequence. Each punch seemed to be fired off like an arrow, and each kick like a cannonball, all executed with flowing precision.